积累
jī lěi · HSK 4
to accumulate
📚 积 (accumulate grain) + 累 (pile up) = build up over time
积 has the grain radical 禾 — originally storing harvested grain. 累 shows threads/fields stacked. Together: steady piling up, like savings or experience growing bit by bit.
积 — grain radical 禾 + 责 (phonetic)
积 is a semantic-phonetic compound: 禾 (grain) gives the meaning, while 责 supplies the sound. It originally referred to piling up harvested grain, which extended to the general sense of 'accumulate' or 'amass'. The simplified form replaced the older 積.
累 — field 田 on top + silk 糸 below
Originally written with multiple 田 stacked, depicting piled-up fields or bundles, suggesting accumulation. Later simplified to one 田 over 糸 (silk threads), reinforcing the idea of threads tied together in heaps. From 'pile up' came the senses 'burden,' 'tired,' and 'involve.'